Oregon State University president Ed Ray issued a statement
Thursday calling for fans to "demonstrate the great progress we have made ... to
create a more inclusive community,'' and calling for fans to wear black to the
OSU-Utah football game on Oct. 20 and to the Cal game on Nov. 17.

Oregon State is not using the term "blackout,'' but it is no
longer backing down from the idea, no longer in fear of reliving the "very hurtful''
events of 2007 when some fans donned black face paint and afro wigs and created
controversy on campus.

Ray admits he waited too long to reverse the decision

"I wish I had really sort of focused on the issues and the
various perspectives sooner and gotten us to where we are more quickly,'' Ray
said Thursday. "But making a mistake and not wanting to admit making a mistake
can't trump getting it right.''

Ray called the episode in 2007 "really sad,'' and said, "we
all went into a very stressful time.

"To be perfectly candid, if I were asked cold-turkey weeks
ago whether I would want to do (the blackout) again, my sense would have been, 'I
don't know, why would I want to try it again?'

"But once it's out there ... I've got to believe in the people
in my community. If we don't test it now, then when?''

After the school paper, the Daily Barometer, reported this
week that the athletic department was no longer planning the blackout – a
common event at college football games nationwide, especially for the 22 FBS
schools (including OSU) that have black as an official color – many viewed the
move as political over-correctness and a missed opportunity to educate.

In reversing field, OSU will hold seminars and forums and
provide public education spots to further that inclusivity.

"We cannot always choose the time and place and
circumstances to demonstrate the power of our convictions,'' Ray wrote in the
release. "Yet, we can make a powerful statement about who we are and what we
stand for with this simple act.''